Coalition’s refinery closures led to our dependence on fuel imports

As oil imports dry up and fuel prices rise, Coalition and One Nation politicians will pump up their supply of misinformation to cause confusion and division (“Trump’s war is wreaking more havoc than you think”, March 19). They will directly or indirectly blame Labor for only two domestic oil refineries remaining when we had eight in 2000 supplying about 90 per cent of our needs. The right-wing media propaganda machine will ably assist them, but here are the facts of refinery closures and serving prime ministers: 2003 Port Stanvac (John Howard); 2012 Clyde (Julia Gillard); 2014 Kurnell and Bulwer Island (Tony Abbott); 2021 Kwinana and Altona (Scott Morrison). Five of the six closed under the Coalition’s watch, and Barnaby Joyce was a National Party member from 2005 to 2026. In 2020, Angus Taylor, as energy and emissions minister, signed up for 90 days of Australia’s oil reserves to be held by the US government in Texas and Louisiana. Be careful who you blame and how you vote or you may well import the type of hatred, vitriol and chaos plaguing the US. Howard Charles, Glebe

For a country that is a net energy exporter, Australia seems to be missing out on the natural hedge that should be helping balance the books. While the oil price rises, it should follow that Australia should be reaping a windfall on liquefied natural gas exports, which could be used in part to offset higher fuel prices at home, or at least dampen price spikes. The answer likely lies in our woeful resource tax system, which allows most energy exporters to pay very little tax for gas exports and engage in practices that exhibit all the hallmarks of transfer pricing to lower tax regimes. For too long, successive Australian governments have skirted their responsibility to get a fair return for the nation’s natural resources. For that, we all pay. Chris Andrew, Turramurra

Politicians now blaming the government for our dependence on foreign oil should acquaint themselves with the history of this issue. Some of us are old enough to remember the COR petrol brand. That fuel was refined and marketed here by Commonwealth Oil Refineries Ltd, a joint venture established in 1920 between the Australian government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, partly in response to the nation’s energy vulnerability during World War I. COR built and operated Australia’s first crude oil refinery, but in 1952 the Menzies government sold the public interest in the company to – guess who? – the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. Eventually, it ended up in the hands of BP. Privatisation doesn’t always work out well. David Salter, Hunter’s Hill

Poised for pain

Australians in major cities will very soon start to feel the effects of the Middle East crisis (“Treasurer warns of 5 per cent inflation if Iran war drags on”, March 19). The lifestyle they enjoy begins in rural and regional areas, and the shortage of oil products will become a harsh reality very soon. Supermarket prices and empty shelves will be a reflection of the logistical problems caused by fuel shortages, as well as a lack of fertilisers. Only then will there be a clearer understanding that urban living standards, in fact, begin in regional areas, not in how much your piece of real estate is worth. This lack of understanding is clearly reflected in the closure of the Great Western Highway, the artery into Sydney from a major food bowl, and is yet another example of the state government’s misguided spending priorities. Bruce Clydsdale, Bathurst

Cheaper to drive

With a petrol shortage looming, I made the decision to use public transport to reduce my petrol consumption and urged my children to do the same. On Thursday, I travelled 16 kilometres on public transport in off-peak hours, using buses and trains. The cost of my return journey was $16. The same trip would have cost $4 in our hybrid car, including wear and tear and insurance costs (less than a litre of petrol would have been used). So in effect I paid $12 more and the journey took longer, particularly as there were delays. Does the government have no interest in encouraging people to use public transport, especially in this time of war and supply disruption? Sue Childs, Mortdale

Nature upside-down

This week my wife said to me, “Look outside, I thought there were chicken feathers stuck in the apple tree but no, it’s a blossom!” That was on Wednesday, March 18 – autumn, not spring. Didn’t Tony Abbott say climate change wasn’t real? And Donald Trump? These are the people we have trusted with world peace, and what a mess they have made. Everything is upside-down. The climate is changing and our planet is suffering, but we continue to wage war regardless. As the tankers and refineries burn, I fear that soon my homeland of Persia will be no more. Ardeshir Gholipour, Michelago

Epic fail

Thank you, Melanie La’Brooy, for explaining the complexities of Donald Trump’s disastrous Operation Epic Fury in comprehensible terms (“Trump’s Epic Fury is grandiose, as he wanted. But it’s more of an epic fail”, March 19). It was clear from the onset that this unhinged megalomaniac and his enablers were inexcusably ignorant of the potential for Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, to say nothing of the consequences for innocent people the world over. Trump has become increasingly infantile as any chance of resolving the war in his favour fades into the distance. It’s more than disturbing to watch a man with immeasurable power behave like a losing contestant in a tacky reality television show who has taken on the wrong opponent, unaware that his real opponents watch, plot and plan on the sidelines. I despair for our future. Donna Wiemann, Balmain

The quotation “If you tell a big lie enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually believe it” is generally attributed to Nazi propaganda head Joseph Goebbels, although some historians believe it came from his boss, Adolf Hitler. Either way, anyone paying attention today would surely have worked out that if you tell lies often enough, people will start to think everything you say is probably a lie. This certainly applies to Donald Trump. Your editorial (“Australian troops have died for a US lie before. An unhinged Trump wants us to go again”, March 19) should be compulsory reading for all our politicians, especially those who still, despite all his lies, support Trump, no matter how disastrous the consequences. Nick Franklin, Katoomba

Your editorial statement that “Trump is making it up as he goes” is utterly chilling, yet becoming more obvious the more one reads about his illegal war. Sending two negotiators in former property developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to Geneva to deliver Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s agenda for peace was patently absurd. Witkoff has admitted that his knowledge of Iran’s nuclear program was sketchy, and Kushner’s previous work in the Middle East resulted only in a report promoting the property development potential of Gaza with its waterfront views. There was no agenda item dealing with the political situation and no nuclear experts were taken along. It appears the negotiators were set up to fail by Netanyahu and Trump, enabling Netanyahu to continue destroying southern Lebanon under the cover of distraction created by the war in Iran. The full story is yet to be told, if it ever is. Bill Johnstone, Blackheath

Geraldine Brooks’ article is a must-read (“Shame has sailed but not our ships”, March 18). It points out the depravity of Trump and Israel’s monstrous war on Iran. She clearly summarises their war’s stupidity and its economic damage, but even more importantly she writes about the deaths it is causing. Christian America and Jewish Israel both share the sixth commandment – thou shalt not kill. Anne Horn, Wangi Wangi

Every morning when I wake up I reach for my phone to read the latest news, especially what Trump has uttered or done. Every morning close friends of the family grab their mobiles to see if their relatives in Lebanon are still alive. One of them just found out that her sister’s neighbourhood was bombed and her friend’s young son was killed. Makes my worries seem insignificant. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

Should Australian alpha male Nick Adams be congratulated for his appointment by dysfunctional president Trump as ambassador promoting American values (“Revealed: Trump’s new job for Australian ‘alpha male’ Nick Adams”, March 19)? Mr Adams, here’s a warning: If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. Wendy Crew, Lane Cove North

Innocence of youth

Dear Mr Trump, I would like to raise something for your attention. I know you probably won’t even read this letter but it’s worth a try. I occasionally sit in our family living room while the news is on, so I have always known who you are. Your name rings a bell, and recently the bell it’s ringing is the wrong one. Out of all courtesy, I feel this war is foolish. For a 12-year-old to realise this while a 79-year-old does not is crazy. Being the compassionate person I am, it hurts to hear that hundreds of people are dying, never knowing what moment is their last. I understand I cannot change the world even though I would love to, but you can. This war is wrong, and deep down you know it. Anyway, I’ll get to the point before you get bored. This war has affected my own family because my Nanny and Granddad from England were supposed to come and be with us next month, but their flight has been cancelled and they may not even get their money back. I have not seen them since year 5 of school and now I am in year 7. I have been so excited to finally see them again, to cuddle and kiss them and spend quality time together. The worst bit is my grandparents mean so much to me and I never know when their last day will come. Not being able to see them has left my whole family heartbroken. I hope this letter will stop the war. I know there is only a very small chance of this happening, but I believe it is worth a shot. Tilly (12)

Jump to the right

I must confess that I’m confused by the rush to get on board with One Nation in light of its recent history (“‘Cannibalising Labor’s vote’: One Nation’s insurgence into NSW”, March 19). I would have thought that one of the most important roles of a leader was to keep the team together and on track with the party’s policies. Pauline Hanson has constantly failed to herd her cats. Once they see the chaos inside the party room, the vast majority desert the dysfunctional party within a matter of months. Her own state of Queensland gives a perfect case study. In recent years, 16 One Nation candidates have been elected to the state parliament and yet 12 of them resigned from the party in their first term. In NSW, it’s not much different. Of four elected to parliament, one was expelled from the party and the other three resigned. There’s a theme here that voters should be warned about. The good ship One Nation seems to have had an over-abundance of mutinies. The truth is that when you vote for a One Nation candidate, you end up with an independent who lasts one term. Not my idea of stable government. Charles Hargrave, Elizabeth Bay

One Nation’s support in NSW is said to be rising, which is an unusual result for a party whose sitting members have already left. Most voters would file that under relevant context. A protest vote is one thing; a party unable to retain its own MPs is another. Lynne Strong, Jamberoo

I’ve had a gutful of voters turning to One Nation because they’ve had a gutful. I’d like to point out to those who proclaim “Pauline says what she thinks” that that is nothing special when your thoughts are pure bile and bigotry. For those considering One Nation because the other parties are “taking you for granted”, wait until you vote for a party that has no coherent policy on anything and whose leader might only turn up for work half the time. And as for being a “voice for the Aussie battler”, just remember whose private jet Hanson flies around in, and which party has been caught on camera, twice, offering to undermine Australian voting and gun laws in return for US dollars. Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn

Rising voter support for One Nation aligns with the rise of populism across the world. It was bound to spill over into NSW (“No candidates, yet NSW voters are swarming to this party”, March 19). Whether it will translate into seats remains to be seen, since the party doesn’t have any candidates, let alone coherent policies. Pauline Hanson’s history shows she is incapable of managing either her team or her messaging. Manbir Singh Kohli, Pemulwuy

Trees forgotten

A couple of letters about The Ponds development highlight – an issue I’ve long spoken about (Letters March 19). When I built my home in 1988, our estate was similarly all but denuded, but that was when there was actually room between the houses to plant trees, so we all did. It’s now leafy, shaded and full of birds. When you see one of these new housing estates that is a sea of black roofs over cheek-by-jowl houses, though, you’re seeing what it will look like forever because there is no room for tree trunks, or even roots. Good luck getting developers to allow for that, though. Brett Jack, Bonnyrigg Heights

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